Adolph loewi



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet}. A. LOEWI.

PLO0RING.

No. 594,701. Patented Nov. 30, 1897.

774 3 ,[Tzvenfor (No Model.) 2 sheets -sheet 2.

A. LOEWI.

FLOORING. 2 No. 594,701. Patented Nov. 30,1897.

FM MQ d HNITEI STATES IATENT FFICE.

ADOLPH LOEWI, OF BERLIN, GERMANY.

FLOORING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 594,701, dated November 30, 1897.

Application filed August 6, 1897. Serial No. 647,361. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ADOLPH LOEWI, of Ber lin, in the Kingdom of Prussia and German Empire, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Floorings; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the'accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

Floorings as heretofore constructed of relatively small boards or sticks connected at their adjoining longitudinal edges by means of grooves and interposed feathers or strips of wood or in any other suitable and well-known manner can be readily adjusted in the event of shrinkage by pushing together said boards or sticks in the direction of their width, while it was usually not, possible to adjust at the same time and in a convenient manner said boards or sticks in the direction of their height or thickness. The object of my invention is to obviate this difficulty.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of my improved flooring, partly laid in straight parallel rows and partly in rows of the herring-bone pattern. Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse section, and Fig. 3 a vertical longitudinal section,.of the flooring on an enlarged scale, while Fig. A is a perspective view drawn to a still more enlarged scale.

C are the boards or sticks composing the flooring and connectedwith each other by means of grooves D and feathers H in a wellknown manner and as above indicated. A number of adjoining rows of such boards or sticks Gare so laid on the flooring-joists B that the ends of the boards 0 of each two adjacent or adjoining rows will rest thereon and will abut against the opposite sides of a metal list or fillet A, interposed between the said adjoining rows of boards. The two lateral edges of the said list or fillet A are preferably formed in the shape of feathers, so as to enter and engage with correspondingly-shaped grooves or laps L, provided on the ends of the boards 0. The grooves L are cut so that the ends of the adjoining rows of the boards (3 will not fully cover the interposedlist or fillet A, but will be kept a suitable distance apart by the latter. In the intermediate open space thus formed between the adjacent rows of boards 0 the list A is provided with a suitable'number of holes E for the reception of screws E and with a suitable number of pointed prongs G, standing erect in the said intermediate open space between two rows of boards. By means of the screws E the list or filletA is fastened to the flooring-joist B, supporting the same. Upon the list A having been thus secured to the joist B a narrow wooden strip F is inserted into the intermediate open space between the adjacent rows of boards 0 and is driven home therein and down upon the pointed prongs G, projecting from the upper surface of the list A. These prongs may be obtained by cutting them out of the metallic fillet, or be provided to the same in any other convenient and well-known manner-for instance, by riveting them thereto, orotherwise. By these means the open spaces left between the adjacent rows of boards 0 are completely filled on the upper side of the fillet A, the prongs G serving to securely hold the strips F in position.

When it is desired to draw the boards 0 more closely up against each other, upon the same having shrunk, or when it is desired to fasten any part of the flooring again which may have become warped and thereby loosened from the supporting-joists B, this may be readily done upon the strips F having simply been loosened and temporarily removed from the prongs G and the intermediate spaces between the respective rows for the purpose, so that access is had to the fastening-screws E.

Instead of securing the lists or fillets A and the boards 0 held by the same to the floor-.

ing-joist B, I may in some cases secure them as well directly to the dead-floorin the manner heretofore described.

Although the description as hereinbefore given clearly illustrates the nature of the present invention, I shall now describe how I proceed in carrying the same into practice when laying a floor constructed in accordance with my present invention.

The first layers of the boards or sticks C are joined in a well-known manner to the fascias K, extending along the' walls of the room, so

that the free ends of the boards will cover 0 havin the "rooves D are fastened to ether i b 13 7 b in the usual way by wooden feathers H being inserted in said grooves. A suitable number of such boards 0 having thus been united closely in their longitudinal direction the iron or other metallic list or fillet A, of preferably one to one and one-half inches in height and one and one-half inches in width, is driven for about one-half inch of its width tightly into the grooves L, provided in the cross-grain ends of said row of boards 0, so that about one inch of the width of said fillet A will still project therefrom. As hereinbefore stated, the metallic fillet A is provided with the screwholes E and the pointed prongs G. Now after a row of boards O-for instance, the row I (indicated in Fig. l)-have been laid and the metallic fillets A inserted in the cross-grain grooves L of the said boards the fillets A are fixed detachably to the joist B by means of the screws E, passed through the holes E and being in free position in front of the crossway ends of the row of boards 0. Now before laying a second row of boards 0, such as row II of Fig. 1, in order to secure the proper and uniform distance between this second row and the first row of boards 0 some metallic bar of suitable dimensions serving as provisional abutment or gage will be placed upon the fillet A, and against such gage the boards C of the second row are moved, so that the grooves L in their crossway ends will be pushed over the free longitudinal edge of the fillet A. The second row of boards 0 having been laid the said metallic bar provisionally placed as gage upon the fillet A will then be removed from between the two adjacent rows, and in the free intermediate space thus formed between the said rows a filling-strip F, of walnut or other suitable kind of wood, is inserted and driven home therein, so as to be entered by the pointed prongs G from below and retained by the latter in a fixed position upon the upper surface of the fillet A.

It will be seen that in laying the subsequent rows of boards I may proceed in the same manner as above described and that by reason of the adjacent ends of the boards not being in direct contact with each other sufficient play is obtained to prevent the boards from warping.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I desire to claim and secure by Letters Patent is- 1. A flooring consisting of boards united in the direction of their grain and having grooves in their cross-grain ends for the reception of a metallic fillet provided with holes and pointed prongs, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

2. A fiooring composed of rows of boards united in the direction of the grain and having grooves in their cross-grain ends entered by a metallic fillet provided with screw-holes and pointed prongs and holding the adjacent rows of boards a distance apart from each other, the intermediate space between the said adjacent rows being filled up by wooden strips held fast by the said pointed prongs, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

3. A flooring composed of rows of boards united in the direction of their grain and provided with grooves in their crossway ends receiving a metallic fillet holding the adjacent rows of parts a distance apart from each other and fastened detachably to a support by means of screws and having also pointed prongs entering a wooden strip inserted in the intermediate space between two adjacent rows of boards, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

4. In a flooring composed of rows of boards a metallic fillet having fastening-holes and pointed holding devices, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

5. A flooring consisting of a series of boards 0 the vertical sides of which extending in the direction of the grain are provided with the longitudinal grooves D for the reception of the feathers I-I uniting each two adjacent boards lengthwise, and the vertical sides of which extending in the cross-grain direction are provided with the transverse grooves L for the reception of the metallic fillet A entering said transverse grooves L on either side to such a distance only as to leave an open intermediate space between each two adjacent boards crosswise, the said fillet A having screw-holes E and pointed prongs G in line with said intermediate space, screws E passing through the holes E and entering the support B underneath, and the said intermediate space above the screws E being closed by means of wooden strips F driven into the pointed prongs G, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ADOLPII LOEIVI.

Vitnesses:

ROBERT E. SCHMIDT, BERNHARD GRATZ. 

